Heartbeat mechanism



Oct. 4, 1960 R. M. JACKSON 2,954,642

HEARTBEAT MECHANISM Filed Aug. 12, 1957 FIG. I

FIG. 2

INVENTOR RODERICK M. JACKSON ATTORNEY United States HEARTBEAT MECHANISMRoderick M. Jackson, Lancaster, Pa., assignor to Hamilton Watch Company,Lancaster, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Aug. 12, 1957, Ser.No. 677,713

Claims. (Cl. 46-232) This invention relates to toys and to soundproducing means for simulating the beat of a human heart in said toys.

Various toys have been constructed in the past in which there has beensome means for simulating a particular noise within the toy, such as thefiring of a gun, the beating of a heart, the ticking of a watch or theplaying of certain musical themes. The mechanism in these toys wasgenerally spring wound and adapted to run for a very short period oftime. While this made the toys inexpensive to manufacture, it alsorendered the pleasure received from these toys of short duration.

It is the object of the present invention to provide an electro-magneticmeans for simulating the beats of a human heart and to operate suchmeans through batteries which will last at least six months ofcontinuous running.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide anoscillating balance wheel and stafl which will operate in any positionof the toy, and which during the oscillation will engage a diaphragm tovibrate said diaphragm and cause sounds which will simulate the beatingof a heart.

It is still a further object of the present invention to providebatteries which may be quickly and easily replaced when exhausted andwhich may be so mounted within the toy that they will serve as weightsto assist in maintaining the toy in a desired position such as a sittingposition or an erect position.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a unitcontaining a balance wheel serving as an oscillating member, a resonantchamber and a vibrating diaphragm attached to said chamber, theoscillation of the balance wheel causing the diaphragm to vibrate andsimulate the beating of a human heart.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical section of the mechanism used in producing theheart beats.

Figure 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Figure 1 looking in the directionof the arrows.

Figure 3 is a view of a simulated toy in the form of a doll showing thelocation of the heart beat producing mechanism and the batteries.

Referring particularly to the drawings, a housing 9 is formed with acentral web 10 supporting an electromagnet 11 having pole pieces 12 and13. The pole pieces 12 and 13 are substantially U-shaped and are formedwith yokes 14 and 15 at their free ends. A balance staif 16 journaled at17 and 18 in the housing and web respectively supports a balance wheel20 and a hairspring 21. Also attached to the balance staff is anarmature 23 adapted to move between the arms of the yokes 14 and 15. Thebatteries 25 and 26, located at some place in the toy where it will beconvenient for replacement and to establish the weight of the batteriesin a proper position in the toy, are connected to the r 2,95% .2 gfiPatented Get. 4, 196% electro-magnet by lead 27 and grounded to thehousing by lead 28.

A resonant chamber 30' is mounted in the lower section of the housingand has protruding therefrom a substantially rigid rod 31. The rod 31 isattached to a diaphragm 33 by some suitable means such as vulcanizingwith rubber as shown at 34 in order to dampen the motion of the rod withrespect to the diaphragm. The rod projects from the diaphragm at rightangles and in the path of movement of a rectangular cross arm 36. Therectangular cross arm 36 is slidably mounted in a slot 38 in the balancestaff 16 and is positioned so as to engage the end of the rod 31 withthe oscillating movement of the balance staff.

The cross arm 36 is formed of two separate sections secured together, asection '39 formed of insulating material and a section 41 formed ofconducting material. This cross arm is slidably mounted in the balancestaif 16 and is formed with a head 42, the ends of which may be filed orground to provide for the adjustment of the cross arm 36 so that themember will be in balance.

The end of the coil 11 is connected by lead 44 to the substantiallyrigid rod 31 to provide electrical contact between the rigid rod 31 andthat portion 41 of the cross arm 36 which contact will energize the coil11 and impart movement to the armature 23 thus providing with eachstroke in a counter-clockwise direction an impulse to the balance wheelwhile movement in a clockwise direction will cause the rod 31 to beengaged by the insulated portion 39 of the cross arm 36 brushing the rod31 to one side without making an electrical connection, thus providingimpulse to the balance wheel in one direction only.

In the operation the balance wheel is periodically impulsed to provideoscillation to the balance staif 16 which in turn causes the cross arm36 to engage the rod 31 and to produce a vibration of the diaphragm 33which in turn produces an audible sound in the chamber 30 which closelysimulates the beating of a human heart.

Batteries 25 and 26 mounted in the legs 46 of a doll 48 may be easilyreplaced by removing a screw cap in the bottom of the feet and insertingthe battery in clips which are not shown and which are of the usualconstruction. The batteries are of the simple pen flashlight type andmay be purchased at any store. These batteries should provide sufficientenergy to operate such toy for at least a period of six months.

The housing 9 is located approximately as shown in Figure 3 andsimulates the beating of a human heart in a toy for periods up to sixmonths without replacement of the batteries, thus giving the illusion oflife Within the toy.

In operation the device is first energized from the initial restposition shown in Figure 2 and receives an impulse by way of armature 23driving balance wheel 16 and cross arm 36 in a counterclockwisedirection past rod 31. Balance wheel 20 rotates in a counterclockwisedirection until arrested by the resiliency of hairspring 21. Hairspring21 is constructed in the conventional manner of an electric clock toprevent rotation of the balance wheel more than 360 in either direction.Upon the return stroke of the balance wheel, cross arm 36 engages rod 31again brushing it aside out of the path of movement of the cross arm.The resiliency of diaphragm 33 allows rod 31 to flex away and laterallyfrom moving cross arm 36 to permit the cross arm to brush past the rod.

As a result, cross arm 36 imparts movement to rod 31 which movement hasa substantial lateral component causing inward moving of diaphragm 33and compression of the air in resonant chamber 30. Movement of rod 31under the influence of cross arm -36 and hence the movement of diaphragm33 is relatively rapid thus producing a snap action and a beat soundamplified in the resonant chamber 30.

During this clockwise movement of the balance Wheel the insulatedportion 39 of cross arm 36 impinges upon rod 31 so no connection is madeand the balance Wheel continues to rotate in a clockwise directioncarrying arm 36 away from rod 31 in a further clock-wise direction ofless than 360.

At the end of the clockwise stroke, hairspring 20 returns the balancewheel and cross arm 36 in a counterclockwise direction to the positionshown in Figure 2 Where conductive portion 41 of cross arm 36 againengages rod 31 to thus establish electrical connection through coil 11imparting a second energizing pulse to the balance Wheel in acounterclockwise direction.

It is apparent that during operation the resonant chamber is energizedupon both the clockwise and counter clockwise strokes whereas thebalance wheel is energized only during the counterclockwise movementthereof and is returned in the clockwise direction in the conventionalmanner by means of hairspriug 20.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departingfrom the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The presentembodiment is therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrativeand not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by theappended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and allchanges which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of theclaims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by United States LettersPatent is:

1. A heartbeat simulating mechanism comprising a.

balance wheel and staff mounted for rotation, electro-- magneticenergizing means for rotating said wheel and staff, harispring meanscoupled to said wheel and stafi, means carried by said wheel and stafffor periodically coupling said energizing means to said Wheel and stafifor producing oscillations thereof, said coupling means including rigidmeans projecting outwardly from said stalf, a resonant chamber includinga diaphragm positioned adjacent said staff, second rigid meansprojecting from said diaphragm in the direction of said statf in thepath of movement of said first rigid means carried by said staff, saidfirst rigid means including an electrically conductive portion forestablishing electrical contact through said second means to saidenergizing means during rotation of said Wheel and staff in only onedirection.

2. A mechanism as defined in claim 1 in which said energizing meanscomprises an electromagnet connected to a battery.

3. A mechanism as defined in claim 2 in which said means carried by saidwheel and staif comprises a longitudinally adjustable cross bar carriedby said stafi.

4. A mechanism as defined in claim 3 in which said cross bar is formedof two separate sectionspone of insulating material and the other ofelectrically conductive materiaL.

' 5. A mechanism as defined in claim 3 in which said cross bar comprisesa laminated rod, one of said laminations serving as an electricalconductor for connecting said battery to said electromagnet, the otherlamination forming an electrical insulator.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS312,178 Bacon Feb. 10, 1885 785,874 Gould Mar. 28, 1905 1,329,083 Jamin-Q. Jan. 27, 1920 2,603,035 Countrman July 15, 1952 2,749,699 LavioletteJune 12, 1956 2,757,480 Uchill Aug. 7, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,024,764France Jan. 10, 1953

